Come and Go
by angelgirl 158
Summary: Clint did not know why Bruce acted so strange, but when he finds out not everything Clint thought about the scientist turns out to be true. Oneshot. Just friendship


Clint woke up smiling, as the warm sun shown down on him. He looked around his "nest", as his teammates called the pile of blankets, pillows, bean bags, and possibly a mattress he slept in, to find his clock that rolled around his bed throughout the night. He saw it was 8:36 in the morning, and he decided he should go eat something. Standing he dressed and got ready footer his day. He wanted to go practice his archery and maybe spilt a pizza with Tasha. However he heard a knock on his door, and when he opened it he saw Tony standing in a suit.

"Clint I have a meeting today and I need someone to watch Bruce for me today. You're next on the list and since he refused to come out the last times you were supposed to have him you can accompany him to the lab for his day of freedom."

Clint groaned, "Tony hell no anyone else please I have plans. Please can't you just cancel your meeting?"

"Sure and then when you need money for arrows or we have to rebuild you can talk to SHIELD as to why I missed the accounting meeting that funds us." Tony snapped back obviously unhappy with Clint refusing to watch over Bruce.

"Fine I got it but I won't do my shift next month of this". Clint said, walking out flipping Tony off when he yelled thank you down the hall.

Clint went downstairs to get a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal before he went up to Bruce's lab. He didn't really spend his day with Banner. The man was never very cheerful to begin with but lately he had been more reclusive. He'd spend days on end in his lab, not leaving to eat, sleep, or shower. He was also keeping the Hulk in more. Clint wasn't happy about that at first but after an argument with Tony he lost any chances of keeping the Hulk out more.

He saw the small thin scientist hunched over a microscope. He had a few cups next to him and had apparently must have been up long enough to have drank three cups of coffee and done his yoga for the morning. He was in his favorite sweats and his white lab coat hung off his thin frame. Clint slammed the door harshly behind him hoping to freak out Banner but the guy didn't even move.

"Tony stop slamming the door I might mess up your microscope with this sample." Bruce said not even looking up to Clint.

"Not Tony though you'll wish it was after you're through with me." Clint said taking a seat near the window as Bruce looked up at him.

"Where is Tony?" Bruce asked looking back at his work.

"Meeting or something I get duty over you from him." Clint sighed.

"Sorry." Bruce said uncaringly.

Clint glared at him before he watched the man start working. Banner paid him no attention and Clint couldn't figure out what the doctor was doing. Clint resided to staring out the window looking over at Banner when he moved around to work. Clint texted Tasha to tell plans were canceled. Natasha and Clint texted back and forth, while Clint pretended that Banner wasn't even there, and Banner seemed to pay him no attention either. Clint then played angry birds on his phone (totally rocking with his awesome aiming skills). When he looked at the time it was 12:23. Time for lunch and his grumbling stomach agreed.

"Hey doc stop working I'm hungry." Clint complained standing up to see what he was doing.

"Go eat I can be left alone while you do." Bruce said as he scribbled onto a notepad beside him.

Clint debated on arguing with him but he didn't want Banner around him more so he left and ate lunch stopping to talk to Jan trying to avoid going back to Banner. She gave him some crap for how he had treated Banner, and told him to behave before she buzzed off to go see Hank. When he finally did go back to the scientist he closed the door nicer happy to have his break.

Clint noticed that Bruce hadn't changed he was still working. Clint debated on telling him to go eat but he didn't want to ruin his hard work. The quicker he finished the sooner Clint would have his friend back. Clint observed how quick and nimble Bruce was, his long skinny fingers dancing over keys, test tubes, documents, and the microscope. Clint honesty could watch the man work; he was just so lively flipping through papers, scribbling notes around them. Clint was entertained watching Bruce.

"What are you working on anyway?" Clint asked his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Research." Bruce answered pushing a flash drive into the laptop.

"What is it over?" Clint asked standing up to peer over his shoulder.

"Gamma radiation." The doctor said walking over to get a needle.

"I thought you knew everything already." Clint said raising an eyebrow as the other scrapped at his arm with an instrument.

"No one knows everything Clint." The brunette chuckled, either at his arm or Clint.

"What are you doing with it anyways?" Clint asked wondering if he should be worried about his best friend Hulk.

"I am trying to find a cure." Bruce said wondering around to the microscope again.

"So you can get rid of the Hulk. Are you crazy? We need the Hulk not another scientist, especially one who can't work with simple radiation or fight. You're not helpful to us without the Hulk. If you get rid of him then what good are you doing for the world? We need the Hulk not you." Clint said not wanting to lose his best friend just because Bruce wanted his old life back.

Bruce looked down and bit his lip. "I think you should leave please." his voice quivered.

"Why so you can fix your life." Clint snapped, not happy with what Banner was doing.

"So I can finish my last day peacefully" Bruce said pushing Clint out of the room and locking the door behind him.

Clint stood outside the door trying to understand Bruce.

'His last day... What is he talking about?' Clint thought to himself.

He looked into the window and watched as Bruce continued to work seeming more careful and slow with his movements. Clint watched as he stepped back from his microscope to wipe his eyes. Clint sighed he didn't mean to snap at Bruce, and upset him, but he didn't want to say half the things he did, but he did. Clint knew he has never been one to have a filter.

Knowing going back in there would not help he decided to go to the Hulk's room. Maybe there would be something in there that would explain Banners strange behavior. He walked down the hall to the elevator down to the lower levels where they kept the Hulk. It was the only area big enough for the Hulk and sturdy to hold if Banner hulked out.

Entering the room he saw that it was fairly empty, Banner must not be much of a home decorator. The giant bed had two kings put together with third sideways at the end. The sheets were a dark blue with black trim. The oak nightstand was empty, save a glass that was also empty. The walls were the same white that was originally painted, and barren. Nothing really sat on the dresser except a watch and a few binders probably filled with Banner's work.

Stepping in he went to the dresser to grab the binders. All they had in them was graphs and numbers from some experiments. How long had Banner been working on this? It seemed like a lot of work for science. Clint tried to understand what any of it said but he was ultimately confused. Levels of radiation and periods of time it lasted were the only parts he actually understood.

Grabbing them to study later he went to the closet to search around. There wasn't a lot in there, a few button up shirts and black long slacks. There was a pair of slippers in the back on a small plastic rack. Above the hanging rack there appeared to be nothing but Clint caught a small darker shade of a box shape. He reached up and grabbed the box and looked at it. It was a dark mahogany color with engravings of a heart with Bruce's name in the heart.

Clint gently felt the carvings and could tell by the look that this box and decoration was handmade. Who ever made this cared a lot. He picked the lock with a pin in his pocket and opened it up gently. Music came out and inside he saw a small swirling design. It was a flat circle with little trees and kids moving around in small circles around each other.

The bottom was empty other than the spinning set. In the above area there was a leather holding area with a small latch. He opened the compartment and grabbed the items that were in it, and then shut the box lid. He knew that snooping like this wasn't good but he could care less.

He held a small leather-bound notebook, the leather was real and he could tell it was also handmade. He opened it up and noticed it had notes in Bruce's light cursive writing. It clarified different types of gamma radiation and their results on people and animals. He looked as some of the information from the graphs was explained. Apparently he was looking how to stop the transformation. However it wasn't transforming into the hulk he was stopping it was changing back to human he was stopping.

It all made sense to him now, what Bruce said, why he'd been staying human as much as possible, just to stay in the lab. Why Tony and him had spent so much time together, and mostly why hulk and Bruce seemed so sad lately. Clint felt even worse now; he had no clue what Bruce was doing. Bruce may have been boring but he was very loyal and a great guy. Clint just didn't want to lose his best friend just so Bruce could have his old life.

Then again how much of his old life would Bruce even be able to get, Betty has moved on and remarried, he'd still be hunted by Ross Hulk or not, and his friends have probably long forgotten and moved on from then. His accident was years ago, he would be the only one who would still want it. He didn't have anything back there and he must feel that he has no place here only the Hulk did.

Clint knew he always proved that true saying how useful and wonderful the Hulk was. He wanted Banner to see the Hulk was a good thing to people so Banner would never lose the Hulk. Clint proved his point, unfortunately he did too good of a job. He sighed and continued to read through Bruce's journal, the rest being notes on his day and people he observed. He had a little bio of all of the avengers with their files notes and other observances Bruce made. Clint smiled as he read the notes Bruce left. He said only kind things, well mostly.

_Wasp: a very friendly lass who is accepting and madly in love with Hank Pym. Sweet and loyal, safe to friend. Hulk enjoys pool trips with her. _

_Captain America: Brave and loyal man. The first to rescue me after the fake captain sent me to Ross's Hulk Capturing team. Hulk will trust him again and has faith to Cap. _

_Iron Man: Genius, at times. Fellow scientist who I trust and will lean on for many times. Hulk doesn't like the metal suit but he doesn't mind Tony. _

_Hawkeye: A bit stubborn and annoying but very interesting. He works hard and fights well. Hulk adores him, but I don't have the same loving vibe from him. He will be the happy one to the results. _

_Thor: Brave and heroic he protects his home and Earth very well. He has many problems with his family and their traditions are strange but Hulk is warming up to him._

_Black Panther: Silent but hard working. He cares a lot about his home, and hopefully Hulk can do the same with this home. The two get along well enough, I think._

_Ant Man: I get lost with his ideas on changing people but Hank is a wonderful and smart scientist. I believe in him with helping the villains. Many would love that versus having to be tested and tortured in their other custody holds. Hulk is rather neutral to him. _

"Wow he loves us. Yet he's going to leave us." Clint said out loud to himself.

"Yeah I love well most of you." A voice said in the doorway.

Clint flipped over and looked over at Bruce, who had magically snuck up on him. The man didn't have his lab coat on now, and just stood in his baggy black sweats and giant gray sweatshirt. Bruce was frowning at Clint, obviously unhappy seeing Clint going through his journal. Clint stood up setting the journal on the lid of the box.

"Bruce I-."

"Clint stop. Please no excuses I do not want to hear it. I know very well what you were doing. I cannot say I blame you I would have done it too, except it does not take me an hour to snoop through someone's things." Bruce had monotone through his talk, until the last part where he put a small smile on the edge of his lips.

"Bruce I'm sorry I shouldn't have done this I just couldn't stand not knowing anything to your recent behavior." Clint said looking at Bruce for any sign if Clint was about to get Hulked out on.

"I understand. I would prefer if you had listened and asked instead of yelled and snooped but I am used to it. I assume you got all your answers you wanted and can leave my room now." Bruce said walking over and picking up the box and journal, holding them fondly.

"I want to talk to you about this." Clint said he didn't know why he was saying this though.

He had no clue what he would say. He didn't know how to react to this, to Bruce. Bruce was currently snorting at Clint's proposition to talk as he looked through the journal and wrote some more down into the journal at the back. Bruce smiled as he ran his fingers around the box feeling all the designs. Bruce looked at the box fondly as he lifted the few other objects in the box around humming the music from the box to himself.

"What do you want to talk about? It is kind of too late to change my mind, unless you can pull the greatest reason for me to stay." Bruce said looking up at Clint, with a fond smile on his face, but sad eyes.

"Tell me about you." Clint said, before he could even think about what he was saying.

"What?" Bruce said his face morphed into an expression of confusion.

'I don't know' Clint thought.

"Tell me about you I want you to tell me everything so I can know the man leaving me fully. That way I can see what he does about himself." Clint said, believing someone must have taken over to make his jumbled stupid thoughts more organized and smart sounding from his mouth.

"What the hell Clint?" Bruce asked, as he looked at the blonde as if he was on drugs, and Clint was fairly sure he would do the same if he could.

Clint remained silent, the smart side of him waiting for Bruce to talk, and the other side staying quite as to not fuck up the situation more. Bruce watched him for a bit waiting for a response, and upon getting none he stood up. He put everything in the box up and then relocked the box, before putting it back on its shelf. He stood there for a moment, hands at his sides shoulders slumped over as he remained silent, and Clint briefly wondered what he was thinking. After a few moments he moved from the closet and sat on the floor motioning Clint to join him. Clint did so leaving a few inches between their knees, as he faced Bruce.

Sigh. "I guess I can try to do this. I am not sure exactly what you mean, but I might as well have someone who knew the whole story before I leave. Someone who knew the parts Hulk did not know and will not know. Someone to release this on and understand hopefully why I do the things I do." Bruce said, running a hand through his hair, as he looked at Clint.

"I have been trying ever since my accident to prove the Hulk is a good guy, that he is not a monster. I used to want to get rid of him but I realized he could be helpful for the world so I left my old life and tired to get the Hulk to be better than what Ross and the Hulk Busters pictured him to be. The Hulk and I agreed to have the time spilt, but we were being chased by Ross and his crew so much that every time the Hulk came out we were almost immediately caught so he stayed in while I kept us on the run to protect us from the people wanting to just throw him in the cube.

"We tried going to the prisoners from the cube, trying to find out what shield was doing to them. I knew that something was up with SHIELD; they wouldn't care about fixing a criminal no something else had to inspire that lie. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what but I finally got it, they were using us to get their own mutated army. No one would be able to fight that, imagine thousands of Hulks, Abominations, and Absorbing men fighting in a war. Only bad things would result, but I can promise you SHIELD didn't get anywhere with their testing.

"I tried to help the escaped prisoners, but I found it was useless. Once they have seen the Human side to the Hulk, they do not take either of us seriously. Being a fellow prisoner did not even help we all knew what they did to all the prisoners. There were good people who came in or watched over you and were nice and if you were breaking down or wanting out they would calm you down or even lock you up and let you fell the sun on you again. Then there were the guards when you smarted back or fought they would tie you down and torture you, they would beat you down worse than anything you could have done to deserve any punishment.

Bruce looked down at that part wrapping his arms around himself gently rocking some. Clint reached over and held one of Bruce's hands. This story wasn't getting any prettier he knew it. Bruce was tense at first as if he wanted to yank the hand back and run away, but he didn't and instead he squeezed Clint's hand. Bruce took some deep breathes before he looked back up.

"Sorry. The prisoners who escaped they were the ones who usually had the harsher guards, or anyone Ross went after. Some agents would request the harsher guards to them but it was the criminals who have escaped and done the 'really bad' crimes who usually got them. Anyone who did not get them would be noticeable. They would go out and they would be cocky and not afraid of going back to the cube. Those who had them they were the silent ones, the ones who were violent, they did not trust anyone. We all knew to avoid them because when they snapped there was no batting you around with fighting they killed you quickly when you were not expecting it.

"I was one of the few who did not fit this pattern; I had dealt with far worse. My father was an abusive drunk and killed my mom went I was 12. I knew what his issues were and I knew to avoid the people like that. I had no problem with the guards and I just took what they gave silently as to receive less from them. Usually it worked, only one guard did not like the quiet reaction, but he would hurt you more wither you were quiet, screaming, fighting. Any reaction, even no reaction, was a bad reaction to him. He was the devil to all of us.

"He was gone when I finally got caught again, that was after I battled against SHIELD and Hulk Busters. When you came by that was what gave me hope, that someone had seen what the Hulk was doing. Being on the run all those years ruined any other hopes. After I got out from their again and I came here I redid the agreement I had with Hulk. Before we wanted to do every other day he would be free, but decided that once every thirty days I would come out until the Hulk was a better figure to the world.

"Now that he is he wanted to go back to the every other day agreement, but I decided that I would just go. He deserves his chance away from me. I hate being behind someone's eyes and I know he does not like it either. I have lived my life before Hulk and now it is his turn to live it without me. It is his time with his friends and loves, which is why I am doing this so that we can both have this struggle off our shoulders. Neither of us has to live behind the others eyes anymore." Bruce said, as he stood up and stretched.

"Bruce I know you and me don't get along as well as we probably could, and a lot of it is my fault. I'm an ass to you I know but are sure you want to do this. I'd even miss you. How happy was the Hulk with this idea, because he cares for you Banner and you need to remember him in this too." Clint said looking over at him.

"I do not think he will change his opinion on it and he is refusing to talk to me much. He will get over it though." Bruce said walking to the window and sat on the seal.

Clint followed him and sat next to him. "Do you think maybe it's because he doesn't want you gone. You guys seem to finally get everything settled maybe he wants you in his calmed world. You got the dream you guys wanted and now you're leaving it he probably wants you to enjoy it with him, think about it."

Bruce frowned as he looked out the window that played video of the view he would get if he was in a higher room. "I guess I never really thought about it like that."

"You know for a genius scientist you're pretty dumb." Clint said smiling, as Bruce got a bit of a grin on his face.

"Yeah I guess you are right." Bruce said.

"Yeah I am now let's make life for you and the big guy better and more enjoyable, together." Clint said, standing waiting for Bruce to do the same.

Bruce looked at Clint skeptically "Where are we going?" He asked, standing up.

"It's a secret." Clint said, walking with Bruce at his side.

And that was how things should be Bruce here to stay with Clint, a budding friendship in the making.


End file.
